Microsoft
Facts
- HQ
- NASDAQ:MSFT
- Sectors
- Technology, Workplace tools, Cloud
- Founded
- 1975
- Employees
- 221000
- Stage
- Public
Echodyne, Pulumi, Read AI, Statsig and Truveta Named Finalists for GeekWire's 2023 Next Tech Titan Award
Five startups—Echodyne, Pulumi, Read AI, Statsig, and Truveta—are finalists for the GeekWire Awards' Next Tech Titan prize, which highlights promising tech companies. These firms specialize in diverse areas like radar technology, cloud infrastructure, generative AI productivity tools, and advanced product feature testing.
Seattle Startups Actual AI, CopyCat, and Esterre Launch Innovative Tech Solutions for Real Estate, Mental Health, and Performance Reviews
Seattle startups Actual AI, CopyCat, and Esterre are innovating in areas like automated performance reviews, browser task automation, and flexible vacation home ownership. These companies are gaining traction with pilot programs, accelerator support, and new business models to serve therapists, real estate, and other industries.
SpecterOps Raises $75M Series B Led by Insight Partners to Fight Identity-Based Cyber Threats
SpecterOps, a cybersecurity startup based in Alexandria, Va. with a Seattle office, raised $75 million in a Series B funding round led by Insight Partners and including Microsoft’s M12. Founded in 2016 by CEO David McGuire, the company specializes in defending against identity-based cyber threats and has about 200 employees.
Oleria Launches AI-Powered 'Copilot' to Manage Employee Access After $33.1M Series A Funding
Seattle-based security startup Oleria launched 'Oleria Copilot,' a conversational AI assistant that answers user queries about employee access and security. Founded in 2023, Oleria raised $33.1 million in Series A funding and serves clients like Vimeo and Aireon.
Angie Parker Appointed Executive Director of Seattle's Alliance of Angels to Lead Startup Investment Refresh
Angie Parker has been named the new executive director of Seattle's Alliance of Angels, succeeding Yi-Jian Ngo after 13 years. Parker aims to refresh the organization, which comprises over 180 angel investors who have invested more than $125 million in over 250 startups, supported by an Innovation Fund raising increasing amounts each year.
Nautilus Biotechnology Lays Off 16% of Staff, Postpones Proteome Platform Launch to Late 2026
Nautilus Biotechnology laid off 16% of its workforce to extend its cash runway into 2027 and delayed the commercial release of its proteome analysis platform until late 2026. The company aims to control operating expenses and maximize its impact on biological science, focusing on proteomics to advance drug development.
Microsoft’s M12 Leads $15M Series A for Seattle Kubernetes and AI Security Startup Edera
Seattle startup Edera, founded in 2023, raised $15 million in a Series A led by Microsoft’s venture fund M12 to secure Kubernetes and AI workloads, with software that isolates containers and enhances GPU security. The 14-person company is led by CEO Emily Long and backed by investors including Mantis VC and In-Q-Tel.
Seattle Radar Startup Kapta Space Raises $5M Seed Round Led by MetaVC, Secures $1.8M DoD Grant
Kapta Space, a Seattle-based radar technology startup co-founded by Adam Bily and Milton Perque, raised $5 million in a seed round led by MetaVC Partners. The company develops low-cost, electronically-steered radar sensors for defense and commercial space missions and has secured a $1.8 million Department of Defense grant.
Seattle Startups Mvue, Saturday, Pansophy, and Privacy License Innovate in Fintech, Wellness, AI Knowledge, and Privacy
Four Seattle startups—Mvue, Saturday, Pansophy, and Privacy License—are innovating in fintech, endurance athlete wellness, AI-powered knowledge management, and privacy. Led by experienced founders from companies like Microsoft and Amazon, these companies use AI and personalized tech to solve industry-specific challenges.
GeekWire 200 Q1 2025: Highspot Leads as Helion Rises to No. 2 After $425M Funding; Truveta, Statsig, Protect AI Also Advance
The GeekWire 200 Q1 2025 update highlights rapidly growing Pacific Northwest tech startups, with Highspot retaining No. 1 and Helion rising to No. 2 after a $425 million funding round. Other notable movers include Truveta, Statsig, Protect AI, Carbon Robotics, and Stoke Space, reflecting dynamic shifts in the regional tech landscape.
Bill Gates-Backed Lumotive Raises $45M Series B to Advance Optical Semiconductor 3D Sensor Technology
Lumotive, a Bill Gates-backed semiconductor startup specializing in Light Control Metasurface chips for 3D sensing, raised $45 million in a Series B round to advance AI data center, aerospace, and defense applications. The startup aims to provide a faster, cheaper alternative to traditional LiDAR systems and has raised over $90 million to date.
Generative AI Poised to Boost Healthcare Efficiency but Slow Adoption and Sales Cycles Challenge Startups, Says Frazier’s Nader Naini
Generative AI and automation offer efficiency opportunities in the $4.5 trillion healthcare sector, but startups face challenges due to slow technology adoption and lengthy sales cycles. Venture funding in digital health exceeded $10 billion last year, with strong activity in Seattle-area startups and increased M&A.
Convoy Co-Founder Dan Lewis Joins Microsoft as Chief Product Officer for Enterprise AI Solutions
Dan Lewis, former Convoy CEO, has joined Microsoft as chief product officer for Business & Industry solutions and Copilot AI, focusing on enterprise AI initiatives. Lewis returns to Microsoft after leading Convoy to a $3.8 billion valuation before its 2023 shutdown.
Modern Hydrogen Partners with Puget Sound Energy to Deploy Methane Pyrolysis for Industrial Decarbonization
Modern Hydrogen partnered with Seattle utility Puget Sound Energy to deploy methane pyrolysis technology that produces clean hydrogen fuel from natural gas, aiming to help hard-to-electrify industries reduce carbon emissions. This approach offers a climate-friendly alternative amid disruptions to clean energy deployment under President Trump's policies.
Former Microsoft engineers Koukoumidis and Elachqar launch Bellevue AI lab Oumi with $10M seed round
Bellevue-based AI lab Oumi, founded by former Microsoft engineers Manos Koukoumidis and Oussama Elachqar, launched with $10 million in seed funding to build a collaboration platform for AI researchers and developers and has partnered with academics from Caltech, MIT, UW and Stanford. The startup has 10 employees, one research fellow, dozens of founding scholars, and space in UW's Global Innovation Exchange in Bellevue.
Conduit Venture Labs Expands with Conduit Beacon to Support External Hard-Tech Startups
Conduit Venture Labs, a Seattle-based startup studio founded in 2022 by Amish Patel and Susan Paley to launch hardware-focused companies, has expanded its services with Conduit Beacon to support external founders, companies, VCs, and research entities in scaling and de-risking hard-tech ventures.
Helion Energy Raises $425 Million from Sam Altman, SoftBank, and Others, Valued at Over $5.4 Billion to Advance Fusion Power
Helion Energy, a Seattle-area fusion startup, raised $425 million from investors including Sam Altman and SoftBank to advance fusion power development, boosting its valuation above $5.4 billion. The funding emphasizes progress toward clean, carbon-free energy solutions crucial for powering AI data centers.
GeekWire Podcast Discusses OpenAI's $500B Stargate Project with Microsoft, Madrona’s $770M Fund, and Industry Impact
The GeekWire Podcast covers OpenAI's Stargate Project with Microsoft and others, Satya Nadella's investment remarks, Elon Musk's potential influence on tech policy, and Madrona's $770M new funds boosting Pacific NW startups.
Madrona Raises $770M for Two New Funds to Back Early and Late-Stage Tech Startups Amid VC Slowdown
Madrona, the largest venture capital firm in the Pacific Northwest, raised $770 million for two new funds focusing on early-stage and more mature tech startups despite a challenging VC fundraising environment in 2024. The firm plans to invest in about 30 companies at early stages and 12 at later stages, maintaining its strong position amid a slowdown in the broader venture capital sector.
Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Achieves First Orbital Launch Amid Schedule Hiccups; Microsoft Creates New AI Division Led by Ex-Facebook Chief; Truveta Raises $320M for Genome Initiative
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin faced multiple scheduling changes before successfully launching its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket to orbit for the first time. Additionally, Microsoft established a new AI division led by a former Facebook engineering chief, and Seattle's Truveta secured $320 million to start a large genome project.
SuperDial Acquires AI2 Incubator Spinout MajorBoost to Automate Healthcare Phone Calls
SuperDial, a San Francisco health tech startup founded in 2021, acquired Seattle-based MajorBoost, an AI2 Incubator spinout founded in 2020 that automates healthcare phone calls to insurance companies. The acquisition aims to reduce costly, time-consuming calls through AI voice agents, advancing automation for healthcare organizations.
Seattle's Truveta Raises $320M to Launch Largest Genomic Database with 10 Million Exomes Sequenced
Seattle-based health data company Truveta secured $320 million from 17 health systems, Illumina, and Regeneron to launch the Truveta Genome Project, aiming to create the largest and most diverse genomic and phenotypic dataset ever assembled, greatly surpassing previous efforts. The project will sequence exomes of 10 million volunteers using biospecimens linked to anonymized medical records to advance genetic research and healthcare insights.
Seattle Tech Veterans Launch AZX Startup Offering Custom AI Solutions to Clean Energy and Real Estate Industries
Seattle entrepreneurs Aaron Goldfeder, Rich Evans, and Michael Albrecht launched AZX in October 2023, a profitable startup developing bespoke AI solutions for clean energy and real estate companies. The firm focuses on custom AI apps to optimize internal business processes and integrates them into clients' existing systems.
Kieran Snyder Finds In-Person Tech Teams Show Higher Engagement and Growth Than Remote Ones in 2024
Kieran Snyder analyzes data comparing remote and in-office work, finding that in-person teams have more constructive disagreement, higher participation especially among women, and better growth signals in startups. Despite the popular benefits of remote work, her data suggests in-person collaboration may yield stronger business outcomes.
Seattle’s Soapbox Project Launches Weekly Climate Activism Meetups for Tech Workers Starting Jan. 7
Seattle nonprofit Soapbox Project, founded by Nivi Achanta, is hosting weekly meetups starting January 7 at Slip Gallery to engage tech workers and others in climate activism and community building. The organization also distributes a weekly 'changeletter' with actionable climate steps and offers resources to support collective climate action.
People
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Ali Farhadi Executive, Former Allen Institute for AI CEO
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Bill Gates Executive, Former CEO, Co-founder
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Gaurav Sareen Executive, Chief Technology Officer - CAP
